Cleveland Cavaliers vs New York Knicks Prediction & Match Preview - April 23nd, 2023 | Game 4, 2023 NBA Playoffs

The Cleveland Cavaliers are down 1-2 against the New York Knicks ahead of Game 4. The Cavs lost their first game of the series in New York on Friday night, but can't allow themselves to fall into a 1-3 hole.

Only 12 teams in NBA history have won the series after trailing 1-3. This includes the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers, who beat the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals and became the only team in the league's history to overcome this deficit in a finals series.

The focus of the series has been on defense. The Knicks have averaged 96.7 points per game in their first three games, while the Cavs' scoring average is only 94.3 points. In Game 3, the Cavs were held to only 79 points on 38.8% shooting, which was very impressive.

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Where to watch Game 4 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks?

The upcoming matchup will be broadcast on ABC and ESPN, with the tipoff time set for 1 PM Eastern Time. The game will be played at Madison Square Garden, the home of the New York Knicks.

Additionally, basketball fans will be able to watch the matchup on the NBA League Pass.

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Game preview

Despite the lockdown defense by the Knicks, Donovan Mitchell has still found ways to score efficiently, averaging 25.7 points on 48.3% shooting. Considering that he's capable of scoring 40-point games, stopping him in Game 4 will be crucial.

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The 6-foot-1 guard averaged 28.9 points per game on the road during the regular season. He is one of the deadliest scorers in the league, which is why we expect a big game from him.

Mitchell is the leading scorer of the series (Image via Getty Images)

The Knicks have several amazing players who are capable of big games, from Jalen Brunson to Julius Randle. However, the Cavs will have to do a better job against role players.

Mitchell Robinson has been a dominant interior force so far in the series and has done a fantastic job on both offense and defense. Josh Hart has been nearly unstoppable, converting 73.7% of his field-goal attempts, including 80.0% from long range.

Here are the Game 4 matchup odds:

• Moneyline (ML): Cavaliers +120, Knicks -145
• Against the spread (ATS): Cavaliers +2.5 (-110), Knicks -2.5 (-110)
• Over/Under (O/U): 206.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

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Game prediction

The Cleveland Cavaliers know how important this game is and will come out guns blazing. However, this certainly won't be an easy game for them, especially since they're on the road where they had a negative record during the regular season.

The Knicks, on the other hand, have won all three games against the Cavaliers in New York, including Game 3.

The Cleveland Cavaliers cannot afford to lose Game 4 (Image via Getty Images)

The Knicks have the upper hand and will likely end up winning Game 4.

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Considering how these two teams have played so far in the series, we expect another low-scoring affair. However, unlike in Game 3, the Cavaliers will be much more competitive and the game will go down to the wire.